Heliobolus spekii

Heliobolus spekii, also known commonly as Speke's sand lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to East Africa and the Horn of Africa. There are three recognized subspecies.

Heliobolus spekii
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Lacertoidea
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Heliobolus
Species:	H. spekii
Binomial name
Heliobolus spekii (Günther, 1872)
Synonyms[2]
Eremias spekii Günther, 1872 Eremias rugiceps W. Peters, 1878 Lampreremias spekii — Szczerbak, 1989 Heliobolus spekii — Broadley & Howell, 1991

Etymology

The specific name, spekii, is in honor of British explorer John Hanning Speke.^[3]

Geographic range

H. spekii is found in Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.^[1][2]

Reproduction

H. spekii is oviparous.^[2]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.^[2]

• Heliobolus spekii scorteccii (Arillo, Balletto & Spanò, 1965)
• Heliobolus spekii sextaeniata (Stejneger, 1893)
• Heliobolus spekii spekii (Günther, 1872)

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Heliobolus.